Agraffe



R. W. GERTZ.

AGRAFFE.

-APPLICATION FILED 020.20. I918.

1 53,904. Patentedsept. 28, 1920.

jrrrelrfor' F/b/mrd/i 619/ 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrics.

AGBAFFE.

Application files December 22?, 1918.

T 0 (M whom it may concern Be it known that I, itioz-z k1 Broolzline, county of rlorfoll-z, State or lv assachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Agrafles, of which the following h the accomdescription, in connection wi panying drawing, is spec-.-.ation, like characters on the drawing representing like This invention relates to piano construction and particularly to the construction of the agrafie, and the object of the invention is to provide a novel agraffe which is simple in construction and easily manufactured and which will firmly retain its proper position when the piano is used. I

In order to give an understanding of my invention I have illustrated in the drawings some selected embodiments thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a sectional view of a portion of a grand piano having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing my invention applied to an upright piano.

Fig. 3 is an underside plan view of a portion of the piano frame, illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the relative arrangement of the different agralfes.

Fig. 4 is a side view of an agraii'e embodying my invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of said agrafl'e.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a different form of agrafle from that illustrated in Fig. 5.

' Fig. 7 shows the manner in which the agrafle shown in Fig. 6 is retained in the piano frame.

InFig. 1 wherein I have shown a portion of the frame of a grand piano, 1 indicates the frame which is formed with the usual capo tasto bar 2, and 3 indicates the piano strings.

In Fig. 2 wherein a portion of an upright piano is shown, 1 indicates the usual frame, 5 indicates the wrest plank in which the tuning pins 4 are received, 3 indicatesthe piano wires which are secured to the tuning pins, and 14 is the usual pressure bar which rests on the piano strings.

In some grand pianos the bar 2 has cast integral therewith a rib against which the piano strings 3 rest and which constitutes Specification of Letters Patent.

is di;-

group of piano strings indicati Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Serial No. 267,570.

an agraffe, the function of which is to determine the effective length of each string. I imllarly, in some upright planes the frame has a similar rib cast thereon over which pass. in such pianos the cor- '.L if .L

i pitch and the quality oi the note produced h r def the proper height and -on. lVhere this rib is ro 3G1 loo. cast integral wi h usual to i iish by filin it to the proper shape. This is a slow and laborious operai and, moreover, if the piano frame happens to have blow holes in the rib, then it .ilt to produce a properly-shaped rib. One of the o" I cts of my invention is to rafie of the type having a .ich the piano wires rest, affe is separable from the piano iiame and is so constructed that the apex of the rib will always be properly positioned.

lsiy improvec agraiie comprises a body portion 6 having a rib formed on the outer f 2e thereof against which rib the piano strings 3 rest. I I propose to use a separate agraffe for each piano string or for the w m any note. .n ach agrarze T111 preferably be situated in recess 10 formed in the piano frame, and the under face of the is and the bottom of the recess have such a relation to each other that the agraffe will rest against the bottom of the recessonly at the opposite edges 12. The purpose of this construction is to insure that the agraffe' will have a firm on the recess bottom and will'not be 1 File to rocking movement in the direction f the piano strings. This seating of the agraife against the recess at the opposite C 12 only is herein accomplished by making the under face 8 of the agraifeconcave, but the essential feature is to give the bottom of. the recess and the bottom of the agrafl'e such relative shapes that the agraflt'e will have hearing at the opposite edges only. The a re-lie may if desired be made with a stem 9 which occupies an aperture 11 formed in the bottom of the recess, or the agrafie may be made without the stem 9, as shown in Fig. 6. The of the stem 9 is that it assists in holding the agraife properly in position.

It will be noted that the rib 7 over which the wires pass is situated between the two the piano frame, it isbearing edges 12,.and hence the pressure of the piano wire against the agraife will hold it firmly in position.

In orderto permit the agraifes to be set close together, each agraife is preferably slabbed ofl at its sides, as shown atl3, thus roducing the width in a direction longitudinally of'the ribZ. I

Theagrafie shown in Figs. 1', 2, 4: and 5 is constructed with the rib T integral with thebodyfi, and it is retained in place in the piano'frarne by the pressure of the piano i jstrings thereagainst. I have shown in Figs.

.6 and 7. a difierent embodiinent'of the in-' vention wherein the body of the agrafie is iade of" some malleable metal and is con-v structedso that it can be forced into firm contact with the walls the recess. c

The under face Set the body 16 is concave. so that when the agraffeis placed in the recess it will bear against the recess at the opposite edges 12 only. In using this form of agraffe, I propose to make the re- .cess 10 0f suchja size that the agraffe will fit snugly therein and then after the agraffe has been placed in the recess,l propose to strike it a blow with a hammer or other implement which will operate to flatten the concave face and spread the. edges 12 out wardly into firm contact with the walls of the recess,as shown inFig. 7, themalleable nature of the body portion 16; permitting this operation.

n is desirable that the portion of the to receive the steel pin21.

. The pin 21 is retained in the groove 17 by making the groove of a depth slightly greaterthan the radius, of the pin and then by pressing the upper ,edges of the groove against the pin after the pm is inserted. This can be done by the same tool which is used to fiattenthe body and wedge it into th r ce s V I claim? witha piano frame having a plurality of e tat -r cei in r cess of a aerate in I i-pianoconstruction, the combination rs e sreetieg aga nst t e bo th r of and retained in position 'by the walls thereof, each agraife having a concave under face thereb formin at'o oslte sides two bearing edges which rest against the bottom of the recess.

2. In piano construction, thecombination with a piano frarne having a plurality of agraffe-receiving recesses, of an agrafi'e in each recess resting against the bottom thereof, each agraife being prevented from lateral movementfby the walls. of the recessand having a transversely extending rib on its outer face against which the piano string rests, and the under face of the agrafieand the bottom of the recess having such relative shapes that the agraffe engages the bottom of the recess only at two edges situated on opposite sides of the rib. V t r 3. An agraffe comprising a body of malleable metal concaved on its under face and having a hardened string-supporting rib on its upper face, said body having a'less dimensionin direction longitudinally of the rib than in a di ection'transverse thereto.

. 4:. An agrafle comprising a body of malleablernetal concaved on its under faceand having on its upper face a rib of steel against which the piano strings rest, said agraffe having a less dimension in a direction longitudinally of the rib than in a direction transversely thereto. H r

5. In piano construction, the comb nation with a piano framehaving a plurality of agraffe-receiving recesses, of an agraffe received in each recess, there being an agrafie for each piano strin' 'eachagraffe being formed of malleable metal and having a concaved under face thereby forming on opposite sides two bearing edges wh ch rest edges of th igr'afl e being for ced'into firm engagement with the walls of the recess.

6. In piano construction, the combination with a piano frame having a of agrafi'e-receivingrecesses, one for each piano String; of a esr f n ea h r ces a s 'e bei med f ma ea l m tt ehaving a concaved under face thereby formns o pp si si s t bearin edg s which rest against the bottom of the recess,

t b a i g. edg 9f t e acre-fie e n rr int firm e ga em nt i h t Wa l f t e against the bottom of the recess, the bearing recess, sa ho y ha in a gr w iriite HP- per t me nd a a ned te l-P 1 11' t groove; V l

n te l ny wh I ave gnedmy narne to this specification.

- RIQHD. w. G m. 

